Sony has announced that it has signed writers Matt Sazama and Burk Sharpless to pen the next big screen adaptation of Flash Gordon.  The update to the series has been passed around from Universal back to Hearst owned King Features Syndication, and now finally to Sony, who picked up the rights a few months ago.

Joining the writers are producer Neal Moritz and director Breck Eisner.

There are a lot of people who still have an affection for the 1980’s Flash Gordon flick, those that get a kick out of Buster Crabbe’s 1930’s serial, and not a single person I know that likes the Sci-Fi Channel’s attempt at a reboot.  This brings us to the question of the day; will audiences take to a new Flash Gordon?

via THR

While I’m sure there are a number of crackpots out there that already think the Angel of Death is on the web, the Ed Brubaker version is coming to the web as an original live-action series in 2009, that you’ll be able to see on Sony Picture Entertainment’s Crackle website.

The web series stars actress/stuntwoman Zoe Bell, whom most of you remember from the Grindhouse feature Death Proof.

Angel of Death depicts a remorseless assassin (Bell) in the employ of a ruthless crime family. After suffering a severe head wound, she becomes so haunted by her victims that she decides to kill the people who ordered the hits, one by one.

“Besides the elation I feel about having a project I wrote actually being filmed, which is huge for any writer, I’m just as thrilled about having Zoe Bell signed on to star in Angel of Death,” said creator/writer Ed Brubaker in a statement to the press. “And working with Crackle and Sony Pictures Television to give viewers instant access to the series online is completely overwhelming.”

You’ll be able to find Angel of Death at www.crackle.com/angelofdeath in 2009.  The online movie will be broken into 8-10 chunks spread out over several weeks.

Sony Pictures Imageworks has announced it will be the driving force behind the live action 3D adaptation of one of my favorite cartoons from my youth.  G-Force (Gatchaman, Battle of the Planets) will have its 2D footage converted into 3D during the action sequences.

Is everyone excited about a G-Force movie?

via THR

If the Fraggles can do it, why not the Smurfs?  Word out of H’wood today has Sony Pictures Animation and Columbia Pictures working on a 3D-CGI Smurf movie. Jordan Kerner is producing the project and working closely with Peyo’s daughter on the project.

“Smurfs” marks SPA’s first hybrid film — a subgenre that proved popular given the success of 20th Century Fox’s “Alvin and the Chipmunks” — and is the first project to go into development since Hannah Minghella was named prexy of production for the division in April. SPE digital production prexy Bob Osher said the studio plans to rely on SPA for the film’s character animation, and Imageworks — which was recently taken off the sale block — for its visual effects.

No word on release date, but the announcement came as the Licensing Show kicked off in New York City on Monday.

I don’t know about you, but I grew up on the fringe of the Smurf animation juggernaut and know how much kids between 1981 - 1990 loved those little blue guys (and gal).  While I think a more traditional cel animation might work better, Sony did wonders with Shrek, and if they use that same style again, 3D Smurfs could be a hit.

via Variety

When not doing voice work for such video games as Pirates of the Caribbean: At World’s End, Crispin Freeman makes time to do voice over work for animated features and television shows. You can catch his latest work this weekend on The Spectacular Spider-Man animated series.

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This weekend, while you’re watching the back to back episodes of The Spectacular Spider-Man on the Kids’ WB!, pay close attention to the voice of the Vulture and you might find it hard to sleep at night.

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If you were expecting to sit in front of your television this Saturday with your jammies on, munching a bowl of super-sugar-snaps, while watching the brand new Spectacular Spider-Man cartoon, you might want to sleep in. Marvel and Sony have announced they will be bumping the show from its March 1 debut to March 8.

While it may sound like a bad thing, come next weekend, you’ll be able to watch a full hour of The Spectacular Spider-Man as two shows will air back-to-back beginning at 10AM EST.

The big question on everyone’s mind is, “What happens after this season?” Warner Bros. has announced it will be shutting down the Kids WB and handing the CW animation block over to 4Kids Entertainment.

via ICv2

The headline is a bit misleading. What it really should say is Sony buys the rights to distribute the next Terminator movie, staring Batman’s Christian Bale, internationally.

McG will helm the film, the first in a new “Terminator” trilogy that stars Christian Bale as John Connor. The project also reunites John Brancato and Michael Ferris, who partnered to pen “Terminator 3: Rise of the Machines,” as well as Moritz Borman, a producer on the 2003 film.

Terminator Salvation: The Future Begins is scheduled to be in theaters in the first half of 2009.

via Hollywood Reporter

Yup, throw enough money at someone and they pretty much do anything. In an interview with Superhero Hype! Sam Raimi gave an update on the film.

“Right now, Sony is meeting with different writers to try and bring a fresh new story and approach to the ‘Spider-Man’ franchise,” Raimi told us, “so I’ve been in meetings with Avi Arad and Laura Ziskin, the producers, and Amy Pascal. Different writers have been coming in and spinning different tales of where ‘Spider-Man’ can go from here.”

Let’s just hope it isn’t Clone Saga…

via Superhero Hype

Shock Til You Drop has received three of the posters Sony Pictures will use in theaters to promote the adaptation of Steve Niles’ 30 Days of Night. If you love vampire flicks, this one looks to be the creepiest yet, and will firmly set in my mind that I should never move any farther north than I am right now.

via Shock Til You Drop

In the battle of the box office it wasn’t Pirates v. Ninjas this past week, but rather pirates taking on the webhead. According to box office results, Pirates did a very good job in its first six days in the box office, but Sony is claiming Disney/Buena Vista pulled out some fuzzy math to propel the pirate movie above S3.

Arguably, the flap originated when Sony opened “Spider-Man 3″ on a Tuesday in 18 overseas markets and later claimed a six-day opening record of $232 million in addition to other more conventional landmarks.

Disney/BVI followed by heralding its “six-day” record of $251 million. But throughout the past weekend, verbal darts were flying — mostly off the record — about which distributor included or excluded certain boxoffice figures to bolster their respective claims.

As I’ve always said there are three kinds of lies; lies, damn lies, and statistics. Depending on which way each of these companies is tabulating their statistics on the box office draw, it could go either way. Instead of projecting figures, companies like Sony and BVI should use actual figures. This keeps them out of all sorts of hot water in reporting how much they owe their stars and such.

via Hollywood Reporter